Separable fastener



y 1934- J. B. FREYSINGER- 1,957,257

SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed Jan. 28, 1932 gwuentoa Jahn BFre /s 272 6 7"Patented May 1, 1934- uarra s i was? Application January 28, 1932,Serial No. 589,433

6 Claims.

This invention relates to fastening-devices of the type having twogeneral parts one of which is adapted to be adjustably engaged with theother. As instances of uses to which devices 5. of the present inventionmay be applied, referonce may be had to straps or belts, wearingapparel, et cetera.

The aim of the invention is to provide a fastener of this sort havingvarious features of novelty and advantage and which is particularlycharac terized by its simplicity in construction, its economy inmanufacture, and the ease and convenience with which the parts may beconnected together and taken apart.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplifled in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown, for illustrativepurposes, one of the emsediments which the present invention may take,

Fig. 1 is a front view of the assembled arrangement;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the clasp member, the bar member being shown incross section;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the clasp member, this view beingtaken substantially on line 5'5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a view looking at the end of the bar member.

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates generally a bar memberhaving an elongated narrow strip portion 10 provided along at least oneand preferably both of its side edges with V-shaped o1 tapered teeth 11.The bar has at each end what may be termed a T-end comprising a pair ofoppositely and laterally extending arms 12. Inwardly of this head is apair of oppositely and laterally extending fingers 13. The T- nd andfingers 13 form'what may be called, so to speak, an H-shaped head havingthe notches or recesses 14. The ends of the bar may .be connected in anysuitable manner to a strap, a piece of clothing, or the like, as bystitching or otherwise. However, with the arrangement described, theT-ends may be detachably connected to an element, such as a piece ofclothing, by 'Ithreading the same through an eyelet or buttonhole in thepiece of clothing. In Fig. 1, the piece of clothing or other element isdesignated by the letter K and has an opening or buttonhole :11. It willbe observed that the fingers 13 prevent the piece of clothing fromriding up onto the strip 6d 10; or conversely prevent the strip 10 frommoving into the button hole. The strip portion 10 of the bar is held outof the plane of the heads by offsets 1'7 and 18, the latter of which ispreferably of reduced width so as to form a narrow c5 neck, as shownmost clearly in Fig. 6.

The clasp part includes the frame or holder which is in the form of anarrow strip of metal bent generally into U-shape so as to provide abody or bridge portion 20 and a pair of rearward- 7c 1y directed lugs21. The bridge portion is preferably pressed into angular or V-shape incross section, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, in order to strengthen theframe. At one end of the frame, and preferably formed integrallytherewith, is a transversely extending loop 22 to which the end of astrap or other element (not shown) may be suitably connected.

Extending, longitudinally of the frame and having its ends supported bythe ears 21 is a so pivot pin 23 on which is pivotally mounted a pair ofcomplementary and opposed catches, designated generally by the numeral24. Each catch is preferably formed from sheet metal by stamping out ablank to the desired configuration and 35 then. bending the blank to theform shown. Each catch has a front wall 25, a side wall 26 disposed atan acute angle to the front wall, and end walls 27. The adjacent edgesof the front walls project behind the bridge portion of the frame, and9c the outer corners between the front walls and the side walls arelocated beyond the frame. The rear edges of the side walls 26 terminatein lips 28. The end walls 27 have ears 29 so arranged that the ears onone catch overlap the corresponding ears on the other catch, as shownmost clearly in Fig. 5. The pivot pin 23 extends through these ears. Theend walls, rearwardly of the ears thereof, are provided with curvednotches, the edges of which are designated by 199 the numeral 30. Theseedges constitute abutments or teeth adapted to cooperate with the teeth11 of the bar A. The rear edges of the catches are normally urged towardeach other by a spring 35, the central portion of which has a coil 36through which the pivot pin 23 extends. The spring, at each end,terminates in a longitudinally extending arm 37, and these armsrespectively engage in the interior corners between the front and sidewalls of the catches. up

When it is desired to connect the clasp to the bar, the finger and thumbof the operator are engaged with the outer corners of the catches, and

these corners are urged towards each other to thereby move apart thejaws provided on the catches rearwardly of the pivot. These jaws arethen brought into straddling relation to the strip 10 and, uponreleasing the catches, the spring 35 will cause the same to grip thestrip, as shown in Fig. 3. In this position, the edges or teeth 30 ofthe catches engage in the notches between the teeth 11, as shown in Fig.l, and the lips 28 are positioned behind the strip 10. The clasp is thusheld against accidental removal from, and from sliding movement on, thebar. If desired, the clasp may be threaded on the bar by only slightlymoving the jaws apart and then sliding the clasp onto the night-hand endof the strip. The

offset 18 is reduced in width, as previously described, to facilitatethis method of assembly. The clasp may be very readily removed from thebar by merely gripping the corners of the catches between the finger andthumb, pressing the same towards each other, and lifting the clasp off.

It will be seen from the foregoing description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawing, that my improved clasp is extremely simple inconstruction and may be very economically made. It comprises relativelyfew number of parts, each of which may be cheaply manufactured, andthese parts may be easily assembled. The clasp part may be veryconveniently and quickly engaged with and disengaged from the bar part.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingshall'be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the followingclaims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features ofthe invention herein described and all statements of the scope of theinvention which, as a matter of language', might be said to falltherebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a separable fastener, a bar having a strip portion provided with aseries of teeth on at least one of its side edges; a clasp part having aframe member, a pivot pin carried by the frame member and extendinglongitudinally thereof, and a pair of catches pivoted on said pin andhaving jaw portions formed and positioned to straddle said strip; thejaw of at least one catch having a portion formed and positioned tocooperate with the teeth on the adjacent side edge of the strip; and aspring formed and arranged on said clasp part to normally urge the jawportions of said clasp towards each other.

2. In a separable fastener, a bar having an elongated strip providedwith a series of teeth on each of its outer edges; a clasp part having aframe member, a pivot pin carried by said frame member and extendinglongitudinally and centrally thereof, a pair of catches pivoted on saidpin and having jaw portions formed and positioned to straddle saidstrip, said jaw portions having abutments respectively formed andpositioned to engage with said teeth; and a spring formed and arrangedon said clasp part to normally urge said jaw portions towards eachother.

3. In a separable fastener, a track part having a strip provided alongat least one of its side edges with a series of teeth; a clasp parthaving a narrow U-shaped frame adapted to extend longitudinally of thestrip, a pivot pin carried by the arms of said frame, a pair of catchespivoted on said pivot pin, each of said catches having a side wall and apair of end walls, said end walls having overlapping ears through whichsaid pin extends, said end walls also having rearwardly of said earsnotches adapted to receive said strip, and means formed and positionedon said clasp part to normally urge the notched portion of one of saidend walls into engagement with said teeth.

i. In a separable fastener, a bar having a strip portion provided with aseries of teeth on each of its side edges; a clasp part having a framemember, a pivot pin carried by and extending longitudinally of the framemember, and a pair of catches pivoted on said pin, each of said catcheshaving a front wall, a side Wall, and end walls, said end walls havingoverlapping ears through which said pin extends, said end walls alsohaving rearwardly of said ears curved edges forming abutments adapted toengage in the notches between said teeth, the corners between said frontand side walls being located beyond said frame member; and a springabout said pivot and having its ends engaging in the corners betweensaid front and side walls.

5. In a separable fastener, a bar having a strip portion provided with aseries of teeth along each of its side edges, a frame member comprisinga strip of metal bent to lJ-shape and having a bridge portion and a parof ears, a pivot pin supported by said ears, a pair of oppositely actingcatches each of which has a front wall, a side wall, and end walls, saidside walls being at an angle to the front wall and the adjacent ends ofsaid front wall being positioned behind said bridge portion, said endwalls having overlapping portions through which said pivot extends, saidend walls also having rearwardly of said pivot curved notches the edgesof which constitute abutments; and a spring having a coiled portionabout said pin and end portions respectively engaging in the interiorcorners of said catches.

6. In a separable fastener, a bar having a strip portion provided with aseries of teeth on at least one of its side edges, said bar having ateach end an H-shaped head offset from the plane of the bar portion.

JOHN B. FREYSINGER.

